Chapter 253: Lady Of White Flowers, Mi Hyoran (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 253: Lady Of White Flowers, Mi Hyoran (3)
Chirp, chirp.
The sound of birdsong pulled me from sleep.
It wasn't the noise that bothered me, but the sliver of light piercing through the window crack, stinging my eyes until I had no choice but to rise.
“…Oh.”
I stopped rubbing my eye mid-motion, a soft sound escaping my lips.
I was in my room. Not the familiar tent I’d grown accustomed to at the frontlines.
“…I was confused for a moment.”
Even though this should have been the most familiar place of all.
Perhaps I’d simply grown too used to sleeping under the open sky. A comfortable bed felt foreign now.
How long had I slept?
I’d fallen asleep intending to shed all my fatigue, and judging by the refreshing clarity I felt, I’d succeeded.
I stood up.
Perhaps sensing my movement, I felt someone approaching my room shortly after. They stopped just outside the door and spoke carefully.
- Young Master, have you slept well?
“Yes, I just woke up.”
- I will prepare water for you to wash your face. Shall I prepare a meal as well?
“Something light, please. I’ll have a full meal after training.”
- Understood.
It was Hongwa. I recognized her voice.
She’d worked tirelessly at the frontlines as a mere ordinary person, without a martial artist’s endurance, and had probably overexerted herself even after our return. Yet here she was, working early in the morning. Truly admirable.
Should I give her a raise?
The clan handled such matters, so I wasn’t sure of the procedure, but they’d likely increase her pay soon without my intervention. If not, I could always mention it later.
After a quick wash, I headed straight for the training ground. I’d have to wash again after training anyway, so a brief rinse was sufficient.
I’d taken a full day off; it was time to resume my regimen.
“…Tsk.”
On the way, I clicked my tongue in irritation at a familiar presence.
If there was one thing bothering me…
That man is unbelievably stubborn.
He seemed to be one of Lady Mi’s martial artists. It was hard to gauge his age from a distance, especially with the mask, but he gave the impression of a middle-aged man.
He doesn’t seem like a professional at ambushing, either.
Despite his high level, his concealment skills were lacking, suggesting he wasn’t an assassin or anything of the sort. His aura was sharp, akin to theirs, but it felt more like that of a disciplined swordsman.
The fact that I couldn't discern much more than that was proof of his considerable strength.
But even so, he should do a proper job.
It was irritating. I’d told him to ease off yesterday because he was far too conspicuous, but the man seemed intent on ignoring me.
I’ll let it be for now, since I sense no ill intent.
Still, I couldn’t help the annoyance he provoked.
Arriving at the training ground while ignoring him, I noticed the area was already thick with palpable heat. This ground was permitted only to blood relatives, so it had to be one of the daughters.
…But this is excessive.
The heat was overwhelmingly intense. Only one person came to mind who could generate such a furnace-like atmosphere. If I had to name one, it might be Gu Huibi, but even that was a stretch.
When I opened the door to investigate the source of the heat,
“Oh.”
“Ah?”
“Judging by your absence, it seems you’ve only just woken up.”
It was Gu Ryoon, now the First Elder, his massive muscles swelling explosively.
I stared, speechless at the absurd sight, and asked, “…Why are you here?”
“Can’t you tell? I’m training.”
“I can see that. But why are you doing it here?”
Technically, as a blood relative and an Elder, he was permitted to use this ground. But surely he had his own, more suitable training area as an Elder. Hence my question.
In response, the First Elder offered an awkward smile. “I came looking for you, but this old man ended up like this… Hehe, I suppose I’m still young at heart. The sight of a training ground makes me want to move.”
“If you were looking for me, you should have come to my residence. Why wait here…?”
“You little…! How dare you tell me to come to you when this old man has aged so gracefully?”
“You just said you were still young. Did you forget…”
As soon as I retorted, the First Elder’s fist shot toward me.
Swish!
I tilted my head to dodge, but his thick, heavy arm instantly changed trajectory and came down sharply on my head.
Smack!
“Ough…!”
Damn it.
That wasn’t the sound of an ordinary knock. A wave of dizziness hit me alongside the searing pain.
“It seems you still haven’t learned to watch your tongue as you’ve grown.”
“Ugh, seriously…!” I clutched my head, writhing in pain.
The First Elder shook out his hand and laughed, as if recalling something amusing. But his smile was a little too bright, and it unsettled me.
“…Why are you laughing like that?”
“This is fate.”
“Huh? What fate?”
Why did that sound so ominous?
“How about a sparring session? It’s been a while.”
“…‘A while’? I’ve never sparred with you, Elder.”
“You did, from time to time, when you were young.”
“That wasn’t sparring! That was one-sided bullying.”
I remembered all too well how the First Elder used to ‘teach’ me through those sessions when I was disobedient. Thanks to that, I used to run away the moment I saw him approaching for training.
“It will be nice to create some new memories.”
“I told you, I won’t…!”
“Then shall I just beat you up one-sidedly?”
“…”
Good heavens. Wasn’t he essentially admitting he just wanted to pummel me?
“…Elder, you know this is abuse, right?”
“Abuse? Don’t say such frightening things. This is a lesson filled with love.”
He seemed completely serious. I glanced behind me, searching for an escape route.
…But can I even run?
The First Elder’s gaze, promising he wouldn’t let me get away, was deeply uncomfortable.
There’s only one way out.
The only door was behind me. I’m screwed.
Maybe I should just break through the wall? Yeah, that’s the plan.
Just as I gathered my inner qi to charge the wall beside me, the First Elder spoke in a lamenting tone.
“…Yangcheon, you are truly impressive.”
“Huh? For what?”
“Others would do anything to receive guidance from their elders, yet your first thought is to run away.”
I’m caught.
Haha, damn it. When did he notice? My act and expression were perfect.
“How could I not tell? Your face says it all.”
Huh? Did I accidentally speak my thoughts aloud?
“…Elder, can you read minds now?”
Had he gained some new ability in his old age? The thought even crossed my mind.
“Forget it. I merely wanted to see how much my grandson had grown after all this time. Tsk tsk.”
“As you can see, I’ve grown up perfectly fine on my own.”
“But you’re still quite small, though…?”
“Has it ever occurred to you that you might just be excessively large…?”
This was the greatest mystery of the Gu Clan for me. In a clan where most members were relatively petite, how did my father and the First Elder end up with such gigantic physiques? I was genuinely curious.
Even compared to those Hwangbo bastards… he doesn’t lose out.
Lose, my ass—the First Elder seemed even larger than them. Considering his age, the fact that he maintained such a physique was unbelievable. Especially after the severe injury he’d sustained last time, one would expect him to weaken.
The First Elder snorted loudly, picked up the outer robe he’d discarded nearby, threw it on, and left with heavy footsteps. It seemed he really had just come to see me.
“Oh, right.”
“Huh?”
Just as I was about to sigh in relief at my narrow escape, the First Elder turned and walked back toward me.
“I have something for you.”
“…Why?”
My expression soured instantly whenever the First Elder said such things. What was he going to give me this time? I looked at the object he held out with distaste, remembering how complicated problems always arose when I accepted his gifts.
“…?”
But what the First Elder handed me was simply a letter.
“Take it.”
“What is this?”
“Letters for you.”
“…Delivered by you, Elder?”
“Yes. I meant to give them to you yesterday, but I was a little late.”
Oh, so this was what he’d wanted to talk about yesterday. Letters that came through the First Elder instead of the clan’s usual channels. Not sure what it was about, I tucked the letters into my pocket for the time being.
But the way the First Elder was looking at me changed strangely, which bothered me.
“Oh, I also heard you met with Lady Mi.”
“…Ah, yes.”
It was only natural, since she had returned to the clan.
“How was it?”
“How was what?”
The First Elder was asking for my impression. But I didn’t understand what he meant.
What was there to feel?
“I’m asking how it felt, seeing Lady Mi after so long.”
“Should I have felt something special? It was just a simple meeting.”
If I had to describe it, I felt uncomfortable and pressured, but I couldn’t very well say that to the First Elder.
In my past life, I probably still held resentment toward her at this point. I’d hated her for leaving the clan as if she’d been waiting for my mother to disappear. I’d resented her for returning as soon as I became the Young Lord. I’d used that anger as a shield against a situation I feared. Looking back now, it was just an embarrassing memory.
I hadn’t needed to go that far. But I realized it too late.
“…I see. Alright. Take care.”
Hearing my response, the First Elder tapped my shoulder with his thick hand and disappeared. He seemed to want to say more but stopped himself.
I wonder what it is.
The First Elder had definitely looked at me with a hint of disappointment. There was no way I could miss it; I’d seen that same look in my past life.
That gaze was also the most painful for me. Everyone who had died for me had looked at me that way in the end.
Those memories still haunted me sometimes, which was precisely why I was trying my hardest in this life to ensure nothing repeated itself.
* * *
After the First Elder left, I completed a light training session. Having spent so much time recently hunting demons, a proper workout like this felt refreshing.
I wiped the sweat off with my clothes, asked Hongwa to prepare water for me to wash up again, and had a light meal after cleaning myself.
With my stomach full, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Where did they all go?
I was concerned by the girls’ absence.
For some reason, Namgung Bi-ah, who usually dropped by randomly, hadn’t shown her face once today. I hadn’t seen Moyong Hi-ah, likely because she was busy, and even Gu Huibi, who would typically drag me off to train around this time, was nowhere to be seen.
What’s going on?
It wasn’t some nonsense about feeling lonely. I just felt uneasy because the usual faces were missing.
“What the hell, seriously? It’s making me concerned.”
With none of them around, I grew nervous, wondering if they were causing trouble somewhere.
“Sigh…”
This meant I’d grown accustomed to having others around. Objectively, that was a positive development, but a part of me resisted.
It might have been the right direction if I wanted to change my life this time, but considering I’d vowed to bear all burdens alone, I couldn’t wholeheartedly call it positive. More people to protect also meant more responsibility.
Despite these thoughts, I found myself smirking aloud.
Who am I to think such things?
It was laughable, like a loser trying to play the hero.
It was just one day without eating together; there was no need to feel nervous.
And if I am nervous, I can just go see them.
It was that simple. If they didn’t come to me, I would go to them.
With that decided, I started moving immediately. All I had left to do was visit my father and hear about my future plans. There was still the matter of the Hao Clan to discuss, but I intended to bring it up after observing the situation a bit more.
My steps quickened slightly.
My destination was the residence where Moyong Hi-ah was staying. I’d originally planned to visit Namgung Bi-ah first, but Moyong Hi-ah was closer, and I needed to see her tomorrow to transfer her heat anyway. I would visit Namgung Bi-ah after seeing Moyong Hi-ah.
What the—
Midway, I noticed the presence that had been tailing me had suddenly vanished.
Did he give up and leave?
I considered searching to see if he’d just hidden his presence better, but decided against it. If I couldn’t feel him, all the better.
When I arrived at the Moyong Clan’s residence,
“Huh?”
“Oh.”
I saw a familiar figure. They weren’t from the Moyong Clan, nor was it someone I knew well, but I recognized their presence more than their face.
“…Ah.”
The man averted his eyes upon noticing me, but he probably already knew I’d identified him.
“Why are you here?” I asked, breaking the awkward silence.
It was the middle-aged man who had been shadowing me. He likely knew I knew who he was, leaving him with little room for excuses.
Not that I’d listen to them anyway.
When I stared at him pointedly, the man bowed his head slightly.
“…My apologies for the trouble.”
“Yes.”
He certainly had been trouble, following me around like that.
But that aside,
Why is this man standing guard at the entrance?
That was my question. Why was one of Lady Mi’s people stationed here?
The man fell silent for a moment after my question, as if receiving a telepathic message.
Hah. Look at this.
Was something happening inside? Moyong Hi-ah had to be in there. I didn’t think Lady Mi would do anything reckless, but I needed to be sure.
With that thought,
Crack.
I stretched my body and channeled my inner qi to my middle dantian. Just as I was about to lunge at the man with my enhanced physique,
“…Please,” the man spoke, halting my movement. “I will lead you inside, Young Master.”
“…Suddenly?”
“The Leader ordered me to bring you in.”
“Lea… I beg your pardon?”
As soon as he said ‘Leader,’ a specific person came to mind. There was only one person here who would be addressed by that title.
The problem was, what was she doing in the Moyong Clan’s residence?
I followed the man inside. It felt strange to be led by someone outside the Moyong Clan within their own quarters.
Slide.
The door to where Moyong Hi-ah likely was slid open. I gasped softly upon confirming my guess.
Inside the room sat Moyong Hi-ah, her expression oddly stiffer than usual,
Sip.
and Lady Mi, sipping tea with an air of utter calm.
Lady Mi’s uniquely cold gaze turned toward me.
“Good to see you.”
Hearing her speak so composedly, I couldn’t help but stare back with a thoroughly dumbfounded expression.